All Chapters of Returning the Ten Years I Stole: Chapter 1 - Chapter 9

9 Chapters

Chapter 1

Gwyneth's POVLeanna Sandoval was stunned when she saw me. Her eyes were red and puffy, and it was obvious that she'd been crying earlier."Gwyn? What are you—""Leanna," I said, trying to sound calm. "Can I come in and talk?"The living room was a mess. There was also a half-eaten cake on the table.I smiled at her and went straight to the point. "I'm here to apologize on behalf of Gram. He forgot your birthday, and that's entirely his fault."Leanna bit her lip and said nothing."It's not that he doesn't love you; he just doesn't know how to show it. He's never been good at that. You broke up with him, and he's now drinking his sorrows away at the bar."I paused for a second before saying, "Leanna, I think you should go after him."In my previous life, Graham Rowland would also go drinking at the bar all night long on Leanna's birthday. He had never gotten over her.Leanna looked at me and smiled all of a sudden. Yet, the tears in her eyes continued streaming down her face

Chapter 2

Graham looked at me as if I were nothing but a stranger. It reminded me of the cruelty he showed me when he divorced me and forced me to leave without a penny to my name in my previous life.After stuffing a sandwich into my mouth, I got to my feet and said, "I'm full. I've got morning classes today, so I've got to go."Leanna protested, "But you haven't touched your milk, Gwyn—""I'm late."I then grabbed my bag and escaped through the front door.I stayed at the library the entire day, researching information for studying abroad and filling out application forms where necessary. I had given up on furthering my studies in my previous life just so that I could stay with Graham. But in this life, I was going to go as far away from him as possible. I was going to live for myself, and no one else.That night, I considered staying overnight at the dorms, but Leanna called and said, "Hey, Gwyn! Come home for dinner, alright? I've got big news!"When I got home, it was Graham who an

Chapter 3

I got up in such a hurry that I knocked my chair over. Everyone in the library looked at me at once.I didn't even bother apologizing as I rushed out of the library while calling Leanna on the phone."Leanna? Do you have time in the afternoon? I'd like to meet you for coffee."When we met at the cafe, and she found out that I was just asking her to accompany me to get a full-body checkup, she couldn't help chuckling out loud."Why did you suddenly think about getting a medical checkup? Are you feeling sick?"I made up an excuse and said, "It's for some college event. I'm too afraid to go on my own, Leanna. Can't you please come along with me?"She stared at me a little suspiciously. "Really?"I tried to make myself look as sincere as possible. "Really. And maybe you could also get one since you're already there? Just… Just think of it as a premarital checkup. You're marrying Gram soon, aren't you?"Leanna's face turned red. She pursed her lips and lightly chided, "How could you

Chapter 4

"Gwyn."I stopped walking and turned to face Graham.He handed me a set of keys."I bought a two-bedroom apartment near your campus. It's already been renovated. You… You should move in soon."I was stunned for a moment. Then, I took the keys and nodded. "Okay."There was no hesitation and no questions asked.Graham just looked at me as if he was trying to gauge something from my facial expressions. However, I just calmly took the keys from him, pocketed them, and continued up the stairs.I began packing the next day, throwing out or donating most of my belongings. I was planning to buy them new and start fresh in that apartment.I also began coming home later and later every night. I was basically absent from the dinner table most of the time.The belongings in my room began getting fewer and fewer. My bookshelf was emptied first, followed by my wardrobe, then my dressing table. There was only a single jewelry box sitting by itself in the center of the table.I didn't get ho

Chapter 5

Third-person POVGraham's grip on the bill tightened when he heard Leanna's words. He didn't say anything and just continued staring at her.Leanna was still grinning happily at him. She patted his arm and said, "Your sister's all grown-up now. She's going to elope with someone else. Aren't you going to say something?"He found himself responding with, "Yeah. That's good."His gaze slid past Leanne, landing on Gwyneth instead.Gwyneth stood quietly by the window with her head down, the sunlight casting a long shadow on the ground. She was avoiding his gaze, not even sparing him a single glance from the start."I'll take you both home first," he finally said, putting the bill away and helping Leanna to her feet. "The doctor said that you need plenty of rest. No overexerting yourself."Leanna grinned and nodded, turning back to beckon Gwyneth over. "Come on, Gwyn. Let's go!"She sat in the front passenger seat, while Gwyneth sat in the back. No one spoke during the drive.The ra

Chapter 6

Gwyneth walked over, picked up the jewelry box, and opened it.A pair of pearl earrings lay inside the box. It was a gift that Graham had given her on her 18th birthday. She stared at them for a few seconds before closing the box again."You don't want them anymore?" Graham asked.She shook her head. "Nope."Then, she put the box back on the dressing table and turned to leave.Graham stood at the door, staring at the box. For some reason, he felt that the box was staring back at him in the otherwise empty room."Gram," Gwyneth called from downstairs. "I'm leaving now."He went downstairs and saw her standing at the door with the sun behind her, casting a golden glow on her silhouette.She was wearing a plain white T-shirt and blue jeans, and her long hair was pulled back in a neat ponytail, looking very tidy and put together."Thanks for taking care of me all this time, Gram," she said with a smile. "Leanna hasn't fully recovered yet, so you're going to have to take extra good

Chapter 7

Gwyneth's eyes were bright, crinkling at the corners. She'd never smiled like this at Graham before. Or rather, she had smiled at him this way, but he had never paid any attention to her before.Leanna came out of the kitchen and saw him staring at his phone. She leaned over to take a look."Oh, the post on Gwyn's Instagram? She looks really good in that coat, doesn't she?"Graham locked his screen and put it on the table. "Yeah."Leanna just looked at him without saying a thing.That night, he sat alone in the living room after Leanna had gone to bed. He turned on his phone, found Gwyneth's Instagram profile, and began scrolling.They were all photos of her in Lanton, whether at the library, the cafe, the Tames River, the Big Benny… And she was smiling very happily in every single one.Occasionally, there would be the silhouette of another man, tall and lanky beside her, and Graham figured that the person had to be Dean.He set his phone down and closed his eyes.He didn't kn

Chapter 8

And yet, Graham had pinned the blame entirely on Gwyneth.He divorced her, tormented her, left her penniless, and blocked her from ever finding work. She'd died in her rented apartment with no one by her side. And the last thing she'd heard from him was. "Your love disgusts me, Gwyneth Rowland."Graham buried his face in his hands, trembling violently.He remembered everything. He'd finally remembered everything from his previous life.…Graham didn't sleep a wink the whole night.As soon as it was light out, he grabbed his phone and called Gwyneth."The number you have dialed is not in service."He froze, then dialed her number again. Yet, he got the same response.He went onto WhatsApp and sent her a text message. "Gwyn. I need to talk to you."However, he noticed that her "last seen" was missing, and the message he sent only registered a single gray tick even after a long time.Had she blocked his number?Graham's hand trembled as he gripped his phone.Leanna finally wo

Chapter 9

While Gwyneth's colleagues were celebrating in the meeting room, she decided to come out for some fresh air.Her phone rang just then. It was a call from Leanna."Gwyn! Congratulations! I just saw you on the news!"Gwyneth grinned and replied, "Thanks, Leanna.""Hey, I told you to stop calling me that. Call me Anna," she said in a light and cheerful tone. "By the way, are you free this weekend? I want to grab coffee with you.""I'm free. Are you bringing your boyfriend too?"Leanna was stunned. Then, she chuckled and asked, "How did you know?""That bouquet in your story didn't look like one you'd buy for yourself.""Sharp eyes," Leanna said with a laugh. "Alright. I'll bring him with me. You can be the judge of him on my behalf."The weekend arrived bright and sunny.Leanna was already at the cafe by the time Gwyneth arrived. She was sitting next to an elegant-looking man."Gwyn!" Leanna exclaimed, waving at her. "This is Matthew Humphrey. Matt, this is Gwyneth Rowland. She

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